The most common entry in the journal
of Constable Jones is "nothing to report",
which is an indication of how peaceful life in the borderlands was most
of the time. Constable Jones had to deal with things like quarrels
between neighbours and stray animals on the road.
He was instructed to keep a look out for strangers
in the area who might be up to no good. His journal records
many of the strangers he met on the road. Below is an entry for December
1843 when he met two men on the road
by Crew Green...

PC
Jones'spelling
was not too good
and he probably
had not had much
education himself

"I
saw two men on the road by the Fir Tree Beer Shop. They looked to be labours
[labourers]. They
stated thay ware from Shropshire and thair names was John Thomas and David
Jones, And thay ware going to Llanfyllin to try to get a job to drive some
cattle." We can see from this that most people "on the
tramp" were poor people looking for work or a way of making
a living.

Mr Jones suspected that
poor strangers might be desperate enough to steal
from local people so he kept an eye one them. (See
the case oftheft in Welshpoolfor
evidence of strangers doing just that).
In June 1844 he was sent to deal with
strangers at Criggion...

"I
was sent for by Messrs Ridge and Jones of Criggion. Thare was a lot of som[e]
tramping people with donke[y]s and horses tresspassing
on them. I sent them all clier [clear] a way.
Thare was a large Beef given to The Poor at the Ardline Public House. I
attended"No doubt the
strangers were passing through the area, buying and selling small items
and doing odd jobs. They were probably camping
on the lands of these two local farmers.